Index



J. THORNEL- -2Shets Shee t 2. INDEX.

(No Model.)

No. 506,566. Patented Oct. 10, 1893.

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TTUNITED STATES PATENT Prion.

JAMES THORNE, OF OREGON CITY, OREGON.

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SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 506,566, dated October 10, 1893. Application filed April 23, 1891. Serial No. 390,184. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES THORNE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Oregon City, in the county of Olackamas and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indexes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a duplex index adapted for general use for deed or other record books, and for the proper rapid distribution of names in the compilation of directories.

The primary objectof my invention is to economize time and labor by providing an index for an index, so arranged as to enable a person to find a desired name without the labor and annoyance of scrutinizing long lists of names. I accomplish this object by thecombinations of letters and figures hereinafter fully described, in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Flgure 1 is a view illustrating a page with J as the initial letter, and Fig. 2 is a view illustrating a page with T the initial letter, coalescing consonants forming a portion of the leading letters.

Ican best describe my improvement by comparison with the common index ordinarily used in municipal and other record offices, in which names are divided only by their initial letters or by their initial letters and the first vowels after the initial letters.

, I first arrange combinations or abbreviationsunder each letter of the alphabet including all coalescing combinations. I have selected the letter J to illustrate the index. In the column marked 1, in the drawings,

are arranged the various combinations of letters with the letter J, arranged alphabetically and also with relation to the frequency of use of the several combinations as determined by experience in the handling and examination of index books; On the first line of the column 1, are the combinations Jaa, Jab, J ac, and J ad. In the second line are the combinations Jae to J a1, and so on throughout the alphabet. Inasmuch as the combinations J at, Jag, Jahfi &c., up to J al, are infrequently found, I have grouped the combinations from Jae to J a1. It will be clear that the combinations of initials and second, or second and third letters, are to be made solely with reference.

to'the frequency of use of the combinations in the names recorded in the main index, and

my invention is not limited to any special combinations of such letters as the combinations will vary indefinitely with different initial letters, and even with the sameinitial in different localities.

The column of initials and leading abbreviations shown at 1, in the drawings merely illustrates the general plan of the index, and they may be printed by indentation, hanging indentation, or in any other form or arrangement of printing, so asto show the letters in bold relief, and thus enable them to be readily caught by the eye.

In the column 2 in front of column 1, Iarrange what may be termed leading letters to guide the eye in finding the combinations sought; for example, the vowels andleading consonants that coalesce are used, varying with reference to their frequency of use with different initials. The margin tab gives the first letter.

I assign in the general index (to which my index is a supplemental index) a predetermined number of pages, the number for each combination of abbreviations being estimated by the general run of names recorded, and a greater number of generalindex pages being assigned for combinations occurring most frequently, than for those" that are seldom found. For illustration,I assign in the sheet shown in the drawings, pages 1, and 2, of the general index for names which begin with Jaa, Jab, Jae, and Jad. To the names beginning with Jae to Jal I assign one page, (3), of the general index, and

so on for all of the combinations, care being taken to allow an ample number of pages for each combination. The page numbers are set opposite the combinations as shown by the column 3.

While experience will enable the proper distribution of general index pages to be made for each combination, in the first instance, it may be that the pages assigned to any one combination or set of combinations, may become filled up. To allow for this contingency, I append to the combination column 1, the word Extra, and to the page number column 3 a number of extra numbers IOC designating or referring to the extra pagesin the volume at the back of each letter. When the pages for any combination are full,as for example, page 17'for Ju, I appropriate the first extra page 18, to continue the Ju names, erase 18 from the Extra line and write 18 after 17 opposite Ju. Thus it'will be apparent that the necessity which often arisesin the ordinary index for writing Oarrled to page 100. or similar reference or suggestion at the bottom of a filled page, and the consequent necessity of turning to the named supplemental page are avoided. I also provide the pages with margin tabs 00, and with a cut-margin z, for conveniencein turning the pages.

The utility of my invention will be appredated from the following explanation: Sup- I pose the name Jamison is being looked for.

With the old index it is necessary to run down the column of Js until the name is found. It is obvious that in doing this the eye of the examiner must of necessity scrutinize all of the names under the letter J. Now, to find the name with my index, it is only necessary to let the eye catch the combination Jam, and then follow the line under the page number 4 appears. The examiner then turns to page l-without the tedious work of searching through all of the names under the initial letter J. If a name embraces a combination found on two or more pages, as for example: Jon to Joq, he at once sees that only three pages 13, 1 1, and 15 of the general index need be examined. In brief, my improved index arranges the recorded names in series, and culls out from the whole list under each initial, such names as are similar in their first, second and third letters, and thus materially lessens the work of examining.

An important feature of my invention is the Extra line and its extra page numbers, as I thus fully provide against any miscalculation in the original index pages, and a ready and convenient means for supplementing the filled pages under any combination or set of combinations.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An index having acolumn, 1,containing letter combinations havinga common initial; a column, 2, containing leading letters indicating the letter first following the initial letter, and a column, 3, containing page numbers corresponding to the letter combinations, as and for the purposes specified.

2. An index havinga column, 1 containing letter combinations having a common initial; a column, 2, containing leading letters indicating the letter first following the initial letter; a column, 3, containing page numbers corresponding to the letter combinations, and a series of extra page numbers arranged at the bottom of the column 3, substantially as and for the purposes setforth.

In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

JAMES THORNE. Attest:

F. O. MGCLEARY, S. A. TERRY. 

